Corn Snake

Housing
 Most adult Corn Snakes will live comfortably in a 20-gallon tank provided that you let them out for exercise. Bigger is always better in this case though and a 30-gallon or larger would be very nice. The tank must have a locking screen top. This is very important. Most pet stores sell clips that lock the top down securely. Buying 4 clips will ensure that you won't be doing any "snake hunting" around the house. People will tell you to just stack books on top, but beware, snakes are escape artists that can wriggle through a very small hole. Enough said.


 
 

 
Heating
 All snakes are Poikilothermic (cold-blooded). This means that they cannot regulate their body temperature like we can. Without proper heating their tank can get too cold and they can die. If their tank gets too hot they can die from overheating, as they have no way to lower their body temperature. Corn Snakes are from North America so obviously they come across cold temperatures. Out in the wild they hibernate. If you don't keep a constant temperature year-round in your Corn Snake's cage he too will go into hibernation.
 
Feeding
Your Corn Snake will eat approximately one mouse per week depending on the size of the snake and the size of the feeder mouse. As a rule don't feed rodents that are more than 1 1/2 times the width of your snake's head. While it is possible for your snake to eat bigger mice than that it is also possible for him to choke on it. Better safe than sorry.


  Handling
Baby Corn Snakes tame down VERY quickly. All it takes is some daily handling for about a week and they become very "friendly". An adult that hasn't been handled much will tame down also although maybe not so fast. Babies may nip at you at first but that should end quickly. It doesn't hurt much anyway.
When picking up a Corn Snake you want to be gentle but firm. A small snake or a baby can be picked up with one hand. A larger one needs to be supported with both hands. Don't just pick up an adult by either end while letting the other end dangle. If the snake feels unsupported it might thrash around and injure itself.